


Stalemate

by gaybreadstick



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Romance, Soulmate AU, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, that gay shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 05:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16152977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaybreadstick/pseuds/gaybreadstick
Summary: Not once did Fushimi think anything more of his Captain's endearing comments and questionable whims. Not even as Fushimi lingered at his desk, as if wanting to say something burning on the tip of his tongue, did he waver. His eyes would remain firmly fixed on the skewered pieces of a jigsaw not yet complete before sharply turning on his heel and skulking out of the room without another word.





	Stalemate

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings and welcome to this gay as heck fanfic I wrote based on next to No Actual Knowledge of the series aside from maybe three other fanfics I've read. I'm literally guessing for everything here.
> 
>  _This fic is actually a gift for my mate, who absolutely loves this series_. Merry Flufftober you beautiful nerd.

Their interactions had always been typical at best.

Papers would be exchanged, quick banter shared, then the two would continue business as if it were nothing to think of. Never once did Munakata question the tense way Fushimi's fingers crinkled the papers as he handed them to him. Not once did Fushimi think anything more of his Captain's endearing comments and questionable whims. Not even as Fushimi lingered at his desk, as if wanting to say something burning on the tip of his tongue, did he waver. His eyes would remain firmly fixed on the skewered pieces of a jigsaw not yet complete before sharply turning on his heel and skulking out of the room without another word.

They both knew, though neither moved.

Like stagnant pieces in the endgame both of them hung in an uncomfortable limbo. Unwilling to advance to the final play.

Fushimi always blamed it on paperwork and was perhaps too happy to do so. The seemingly bottomless stack of information that needed to be plugged into the data bank kept him well occupied into the late hours of the night. He'd linger at his desk staring at the unforgiving screen, unaware of the toll it was taking on his tired eyes and mind until his body simply refused to work any more and collapsed there.

Once he had woken with a coat draped over him. His face feeling grotty and his head muddled, he hadn't really gained enough cognitive consciousness to notice that the item cradling his shoulders wasn't in fact his. By the time he had returned from freshening up it had gone.

Being continuously busy left little room to indulge in the fad of romance. There were always missions. There were always papers. Where others were always eagerly gossiping about their newfound partners, Fushimi would return to his desk night after night pointedly avoiding the name so elegantly scrawled on his wrist just underneath the burgundy band he wore.

He didn't have time for that.

He didn't have time for the squealing and fawning and the irritating chorus of chatter from one's peers as they eagerly sunk their teeth in for more delicious details on the person's personal life.

Fushimi would merely shudder and pull his band up. He wouldn't indulge in that. _Not once. Not ever._

 

Elsewhere, the cuff of one's sleeve would be pulled down to inspect the scrawled name adorning the wrist beneath. Munakata would sigh as he observed each letter carefully, vaguely wondering if perhaps their arrangement had been some sort of mistake. _Had he not made his intentions clear? Had he been too forward? Too vague?_

The Captain would mull over this in his spare time, often pondering if maybe his soulmate just wasn't meant to be. A recalcitrant link in the chain. Or worse yet, perhaps the man he thought had been meant for him had the name of another scrawled on that delicate wrist. Fushimi was always very reticent and refused to show anyone the name of his destined partner. Nobody knew what it said. Perhaps he was one of those rare anomalies that simply didn't have a name.

Munakata glanced up to the door of his office with a somber look as if expecting Fushimi to come through it at that very moment. No such event took place. It was rather late, after all. Fushimi had likely resolved to his late-night work as per usual.

The Captain let loose a heavy sigh and his shoulders sagged ever so slightly, reaching for the cup on his desk. He winced as cold tea met his lips and sharply set the cup back down. Maybe it was time for him to retire for the night.

The building was cool at this time. With the absence of the _Scepter 4_ members patrolling the headquarters, the rooms and halls were left desolate and dim. Nothing but the soft click of the Captain's shoes whispered in the brisk air as he moved along, his coat fluttering around his ankles. They only ceased when he took notice of the soft, glowing light beneath one of the many doors. No doubt Fushimi was furiously typing away on the other side, escaped from reality in his work. Munakata was prepared to continue along but something about that soft flickering light in the dark had his attention caught. His wrist itched and his eyes darted down. There, clear as ever just under the cuff, the name _Saruhiko Fushimi_ was glowing a pale blue-white. Something like surprise clouded his eyes. Only a few times had this happened before. A glowing name was a mysterious phenomenon that occurred very seldom to people. Some thought it signified that their soulmate was close by. Others; that their mate was in some kind of distress needing them. Each time that Munakata had investigated into it he had found Fushimi indifferent as ever and completely free from harm. Only once had he found him asleep at the desk with his head pressed into one of the keys of the keyboard, streaming a lengthy line of " _Z_ "s following his diligent notes. An endeared smile had crept across his lips as he gently nudged Fushimi into a more comfortable position, the younger man letting out a series of disgruntled noises in his sleep until he settled again. Afterward Munakata had quietly left, leaving his coat draped over the man's shoulders.

Munakata straightened and turned the handle to the door.

As expected, his supposed soulmate was at work typing something out as he referred to a piece of paper in hand. He was facing away from Munakata, evidently unaware that he was there at all. At least, until the Captain took a step inside.

Fushimi whirled around looking ready to take a bite out of whoever dared intrude, only to notice exactly who it was.

"Oh," he fell short, nose wrinkling as he relaxed back in his chair again. "It's you."

Munakata strode over, folding his arms behind his back.

"Making progress?" he chuckled lightly, leaning slightly to examine what Fushimi had been working on.

The other man let out a snort and folded his arms. "Not nearly as much as I'd like."

Munakata stood there reading the screen casually, admiring Fushimi's detailed notes. Though he hadn't realized that the absence of reply had left Fushimi annoyedly tapping his fingers against the desk as he reclined in his seat.

"Is there something I can assist you with, Captain," he grit out.

Munakata righted himself again, eyes lingering on the bags evident under Fushimi's eyes. "Not at all. Isn't it time you retire to your room?"

"I am perfectly fine," Fushimi huffed, gesturing to the screen. "Besides, I'm nowhere near done."

"Ah but Fushimi, it doesn't do to stay up so late every night." Munakata smiled down at the other man. He glanced to Fushimi's covered wrist for a fleeting moment.

"I can take care of myself," grumbled Fushimi, turning away in a dismissive gesture. The Captain hummed to himself. Those shadows under the other's eyes were not something to be taken so lightly. Just how many hours was he clocking working on these reports? He was going to exhaust himself.

"Nonsense. You can return to this in the morning," Munakata said with some finality.

"But Captain-"

"Fushimi."

Fushimi scowled. Their eyes locked for a time, Fushimi's aggravated burning ones meeting with Munakata's own calm, tranquil ones.

"Must I escort you myself?" Munakata hummed in amusement.

"No need for that," Fushimi grumbled as he sighed and started saving his work.

"It would be no problem at all," the Captain continued as if Fushimi hadn't said a thing.

"I said I am fine."

"Besides, it is late and I'm sure some company on your way back would-"

"Why are you so insistent on this?" Fushimi snapped, his words all teeth and spite.

Munakata blinked at him, surprised at the sudden retaliation. True, Fushimi was quite adverse to his advances in companionship, but this was a new take.

"Are you all right?" he calmly inquired.

"Yes, I'm fine!" Fushimi powered off his work space and stood up, hands slamming down on the desk as he rose. "And I am quite capable of taking myself to my room," he added evenly.

"Fushim-"

"Don't-!" Fushimi froze, catching his own misdemeanor. His lips fixed into an uncomfortable tight line and his eyes shot down to the ground.

Munakata felt quite concerned now. _Was this what the glowing name on his wrist was indicating-? That something was in fact wrong with Fushimi?_

The captain only continued to look down at his subordinate with a soft, worried gaze. A gaze that Fushimi hadn't entirely been prepared to look upon. The second he lifted his line of sight to it he flinched away as if he had been burnt.

"Excuse me," Fushimi muttered, though there was a stark absence of sincerity in his words. He shoved past Munakata and headed for the door, only to be caught by the wrist.

"Fushimi." Munakata repeated. His tone was unreadable and made the younger man wince. Purple irises landed on the back of Fushimi's head. In the dim lighting it was difficult to make out if he was frowning sternly or not. Regardless, Fushimi refused to face him.

"Fushimi. Look at me."

There was a tense edge to his voice now.

"What," came a hoarse voice.

Munakata's frown was tight but he said nothing as Fushimi slowly pivoted to face his Captain again.

"Something is troubling you, I can see this. As your Captain I am here to help you address such things."

Fushimi let out a soft tsk under his breath and pointedly glared away.

"Fushimi. Tell me."

"Forgive me, _Captain_ , but I'd prefer not to get familiar," he murmured.

Munakata was about to release Fushimi's arm when he glanced down. Suddenly his breath hitched, eyes widening. Beneath his thumb where the fabric had pulled up ever so slightly, the fleeting hint of a name was there. 

_And it too was glowing._

_Was that-?_

Fushimi ripped his arm out of Munakata's grasp, yanking down the material of his cuff. The Captain inclined his head. He had pushed Fushimi away with his advances already. Maybe he should try another approach...

"Is it that, then," he nodded to Fushimi's arm.

"What?!"

"The name on your arm."

"No!"

"You know, it is perfectly normal to feel unsure about it," Munakata said. "To feel scared."

"Scared?" Fushimi echoed in disbelief before gritting his teeth. "How would you know?!"

Munakata lifted his head and merely gave the younger man his best, pleasant smile. "I suppose I share some similar feelings on the matter."

"Similar feelings?!" Fushimi snapped, jabbing a finger at Munakata. "You barely know how to function as a real human being - let alone feel anything!"

"Oh?" Munakata's brows lifted.

"How could you possibly know," Fushimi snarled lowly, looking down at his wrist. "What it's like."

Munakata's smile weakened marginally. The way Fushimi was glaring at the hidden name. Did he resent it? Did he have mixed feelings about it? While the Captain wanted to keep in mind the potential that perhaps the name wasn't his, the idea that Fushimi was reacting so negatively over it did leave some sting searing in his chest.

"I suppose, I fear that I won't find my soulmate," Munakata stated flat-out.

It was Fushimi's turn to be surprised. "But you - You have a name, don't you?"

"I do."

"So," Fushimi gave Munakata a skeptical glance. "You, haven't found..."

"I thought I had," Munakata said. "But I am afraid I am ... Unsure."

"Unsure...?" Fushimi was completely taken aback. Never was Munakata unsure about anything. Each movement, each mission, everything was carried out with purpose and clarity. Everything was planned a month in advance - never once did Munakata falter.

Munakata gave a nod. Fushimi's questioning eyes were frantically scouring his. 

"But - How..."

"Hmm?"

"You always -" Fushimi's face fell in astonished defeat - an expression that intrigued Munakata. Had his words really surprised him? 

"You're always so..." Fushimi couldn't choose a right word. Eccentric? Formal? Inconsistent? None of them seemed to properly fit. "I thought..."

"Thought?" Munakata said carefully. 

Fushimi's brows knit. "I thought... You knew. I thought that was why you acted --- Why you always ---" he trailed off, turning away. "Maybe I was wrong."

"Wrong?"

It was that word that made something in Fushimi switch. He rounded on his Captain, all but tearing off his cuff as he yanked it up to reveal the stylish script reading _Reisi Munakata_ in soft, glowing light.

Munakata's heart began to pick up the pace. His purple eyes widened as he stood there for a solid moment, merely taking in the fact that it was in fact _his_ name scrawled there on Fushimi's wrist. 

Fushimi quickly grew impatient from Munakata's nonexistent reply and pulled his armband back into place.

"Well?!" he bit out, and Munakata was shocked to see panic deep in his eyes.

"Ah, of course," he answered, gently hooking a finger into his own cuff and pulling back the sleeve of his uniform.

Fushimi looked at it in horror. That was definitely his name on Munakata's wrist. But this hardly explained the uncertainty that his Captain had spoken of.

"You have always been rather reluctant to participate in my invites," Munakata said simply, adjusting his glasses. 

Fushimi gave him a bewildered look before sighing in some semblance of defeat. 

So this was it. They both now knew. Where were they going to go from here? Fushimi wanted to run back to his dorm and forget that he had ever been so foolish as to show Munakata his arm. This whole event had done nothing but make them both out to be fools. Two pieces left on the board of an incomplete game; neither winning nor losing, forced into a stalemate.

"Are you afraid, Fushimi?"

The question took him off guard.

"What?"

"Is that why you conceal it?"

Fushimi frowned deeply.

Munakata took a step forward, offering out his hand for Fushimi to take. Instinctively Fushimi wanted to back away but something kept him firmly locked in place, staring at that hand as if it repulsed him. But, this was his Captain after all. He had no reason to be wary of him, did he? Sure, Munakata was... An unusual person at best, but he had no malicious intent. Fushimi looked between the other man's eyes and his hand before slowly reaching out and taking it. What could he possibly want with his hand anyway...?

Fushimi froze.

The Captain has leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on the back of Fushimi's hand, completely unprompted. Munakata's palm was soft and surprisingly warm, but nowhere near as warm as those soft lips. Blue eyes widened and Fushimi just stood there in numb shock. Maybe his lack of sleep was catching up to him? Was he dreaming? There wasn't any way this was happening!

"You do not need to be afraid."

Those words rose up into his ears and wrapped around his head making his throat tighten. His lip trembled as he visibly stiffened.

" _Captain_ ," he breathed softly.

"Maybe it's best we get you back to your room now," Munakata whispered.

And like that the fantastical moment was over, leaving Fushimi floundering in a sea of emotions he had only just been tossed into. Munakata walked past him, opening the door.

"Aren't you coming?"

Fushimi blinked and swallowed, nodding.

\- x -

Their walk back to the dormitories was largely silent. Fushimi could still feel a tingling sensation on the back of his hand where he had been kissed. Munakata for the most part seemed entirely unphased by the event altogether. It infuriated him. How could he just kiss him like that then expect them to just go about their usual business? Fushimi felt his heart pounding in his chest even as they neared the door to his dormitory.

"Ah, here you are," Munakata smiled pleasantly.

Fushimi looked at his door with a lethal glare, one that softened as he turned to Munakata.

"Captain," he spoke quietly, looking off to the side as if worried someone would intrude.

"Yes?"

Fushimi hung his head ever so slightly. That single gesture of the kiss had left him realizing just how touch-starved he actually was. Not to mention that he had just been told that his Captain - _his King_ , was his soulmate. Now that they were alone he almost didn't want to have to part ways so soon.

Unable to come up with words, Fushimi opened the door and grabbed Munakata's wrist, yanking him inside after him.

It was dark, the windows offering poor illumination on the furniture that Fushimi avoided with relative ease. Munakata tried his best not to appear confused by his subordinate's sudden actions, curious as to what Fushimi was planning. Mere seconds flew by and Munakata found himself all but tossed onto something plush, albeit firm all the same. The man blinked up, hardly able to see the outline of Fushimi in the dark, though this was rectified by the younger man climbing up onto his lap. Fushimi grabbed the front of his Captain's coat, pulling him flush against him as he carded his fingers in that sleek midnight hair and pushed their lips together.

Shock gave way to a pleasant, warm fluttering in the Captain's rib cage as Munakata reciprocated the kiss. His own hands traveled up to Fushimi's back and into his messy hair, inducing a soft moan from the younger man.

"Nngh, _Captain_ ," Fushimi breathed.

"Yes, Fushimi?" purred Munakata.

"Stay," came the hissed reply.

"I will," his Captain assured in a low voice.

Fushimi felt something tremble close to his heart and he bit his lip. What were these feelings? These sensations of... Need? Of affection? His fingers tensed against his Captain.

"Are you all right?"

The question felt heavy in the air as Fushimi tried to assess himself. He felt warm, like his entire body was vibrating in sheer excitement. It felt so foreign, so unnatural to him - Yet, he wanted _more_.

"Yes, fine. Shut up," Fushimi snipped quietly, kissing Munakata again to emphasize his point. His hands moved away to shuck his coat unceremoniously onto the floor. He yanked at Munakata's in wordless insistence that he do the same. A small chuckle echoed through the Captain's throat as he obliged, gently sliding his arms out of each sleeve before nicely placing it next to them. His calmness had Fushimi wanting to choke him with his ascot - something that the subordinate was trying to aggressively undo from his Captain's neck.

"Allow me," Munakata chuckled, swiftly undoing the scrap of fabric and quickly setting it with his coat.

"Ngh, hurry up," Fushimi grit.

Munakata wanted to laugh at that, but was happy to follow Fushimi's lead in undoing his vest until the both of them remained in only their white shirts. For a moment, Fushimi seemed to falter. His hands, eager to get on every inch of his Captain, now fumbled as they touched the standard-issue uniform. Even if it was the same fabric that he wore, it felt so alien. Munakata unbuttoned the front and allowed the material to part before shrugging it off altogether. Fushimi swallowed, and tentatively placed his hand on Munakata's chest. Immediately his response was to flinch, a movement that made him feel pathetically foolish. He placed his hand on Munakata's shoulder instead. The other followed suit, moving down to Munakata's side. They both slipped over the newly exposed skin, mapping it, appreciating it. There were a few bumps and particularly soft spots, scars that Fushimi couldn't quite make out in the dark, but he was grateful Munakata hadn't said anything about it yet. Both hands moved up to his Captain's neck, thumbs sliding across Munakata's cheeks in gentle unison.

"May I?" Munakata said, almost playfully as he toyed with the hem of Fushimi's own shirt.

Fushimi gave a nod, freeing himself from the piece of clothing and allowing Munakata to do the same.

He initially tensed up as each palm and finger slid over him. It felt extremely uncomfortable at first but as the seconds pushed on he warmed up to those talented hands caressing every curve and every angle on his lithe body. Munakata gently pushed his fingers into Fushimi's knotted shoulders and ran his thumbs over his hips, working his way around his form with ease. It wasn't until Munakata's hand had lifted up to cup Fushimi's cheek that either of them knew tears had been streaming down his face.

"Fushimi-" Munakata started, surprised and worried.

"No! No, it's fine. I'm fine," Fushimi snapped, wiping his face frantically. "Let's just do this." He grabbed Munakata's belt, already threading the leather through the clasp when his hands were caught and stilled.

"You aren't ready for that yet," came Munakata's calm voice.

Fushimi looked up at Munakata. Even though he could barely make out his face in the dark, he knew that Munakata was giving him a look that would tell him he was right. Fushimi scowled and released his grip, snorting as he wiped his face again.

"Let's start small, shall we?" Munakata said softly, his hand coming around to the back of Fushimi's head to tilt it forward into a gentle forehead press. Fushimi nodded silently against him.

"This... This is fine," Fushimi whispered out as he pulled Munakata's hand to his cheek.

"Then this shall be more than enough for tonight."

Another nod from Fushimi.

Munakata nudged Fushimi's chin up with a finger and gave him a gentle kiss; a kiss that was quickly deepened as the pair of them flopped back onto the bed in the soft darkness of the room, lost deep in each other's embrace.


End file.
